


All The Best Laid Plans

by AlexisKeller



Category: RWBY
Genre: Age Difference, Arranged Marriage, Blake Belladonna Misses Sun, Early-Volume 7, F/M, Friendship, Hang on, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Individual Struggles, Internal Conflict, Jacques Schnee is an asshole, James Ironwood Needs a Hug, Qrow Branwen Needs a Drink, Romance, Slow Burn, Weiss Schnee Needs a Hug, Winter Schnee Needs a Break, but so much more, familiar faces make an appearance, it's going to be big, leads up to the final battle, pretty much everyone has issues, the calm before the storm, there will be character deaths, this is majorly a romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:07:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28218204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexisKeller/pseuds/AlexisKeller
Summary: There's so much Weiss wants to do before she gets married, but when Jacques Schnee shows his hand, she realizes she doesn't have much of a choice in the matter. She may have been cornered into doing what he wanted, but maybe she could make more of the situation. Maybe she could learn to live with it. Or maybe, just maybe, it could actually be a dream come true.
Relationships: James Ironwood/Weiss Schnee, Qrow Branwen/Winter Schnee
Comments: 23
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blame the internet: I am SO aboard the Ironwood/Weiss ship! And yes, an arranged marriage story. Honestly, I don't see them happening any other way. Also, this story picks up from Early-Volume 7—probably after Pomp and Circumstance.
> 
> Well, enjoy!

It was strange.

Or rather, it was one the strangest situations Weiss had found herself in in a long time, which was saying a lot because she’d been through some strange ones over the years of being in Team RWBY. Which brought her back to now, seated in front of General Ironwood’s large desk across from him, with Qrow standing at her right. Clover was also present in the General’s office as he leaned on the desk, and she wondered why in the world she was here.

She’d been confused ever since Qrow had shown up to their room at the academy saying that General Ironwood had called for a meeting with him and had asked Qrow to bring her along. Even Qrow had no idea what the meeting was about, or what her presence had to do with it, and it just struck her as odd.

Because why her?

She’d get it if it was Ruby because that was part of the team leader work. They hadn’t been in Atlas that long, maybe almost two weeks, but Ruby and Jaune were asked into the General’s office on Sunday mornings to report in everything from the week.

Which was another thing. What could be so urgent that they had to be here so late? It was almost eight pm, and in a city where it got dark before five, that was a lot. Especially since Ruby and her had gotten back from their mission only a few minutes before Qrow had knocked on their door.

Weiss had left while Ruby was changing, with the other two already in their pajamas and ready to go to bed—Yang brushing her hair in front of the mirror and Blake with her face buried within the pages of a book she refused to show anyone else.

Weiss briefly wondered if she was in trouble.

No. Couldn’t be. She and Ruby had been taking on more than one mission a day, doing well with whatever was assigned to them _and_ not passing up the dreadfully boring supply runs on the mission board like the others sometimes did (even though Ruby really wanted to).

Ruling that out didn’t leave many other explanations for why she was there.

That’s when she had an inkling.

And it got stronger and stronger the longer they kept waiting in silence in the office.

Qrow, however, was clearly growing impatient. “Well? Get on with it already.”

When the General and the leader of his Ace Operatives shared a hesitant glance before both pairs of eyes turned to her, she knew.

She just knew.

_Of course._

Her father.

She had a sudden wish for the floor to open up and swallow her. The wave of shame and discomfort that arose was swift, and she didn’t even know what her father had done yet.

But that was how it always was, wasn’t it? She was conditioned to feel this way wherever he was concerned. That was what he’d given her constantly her entire life—an accumulation of misery and regret.

“What’s he done now?” Her voice was quiet, almost a resignation of the fact that as long as she was in Atlas, her father would find a way to make her feel that way all over again.

He always found a way.

Clover's eyes widened in surprise at her, and that gave it away.

She was right to suspect her father.

A shadow passed over General Ironwood’s face at her question, and she vaguely found herself thinking about it. He was almost always wound up or gloomy looking these days. A shame, really, for a man that handsome.

“Yes,” he sighed. “That is the question, isn’t it?”

“Is anyone going to tell me what’s happening?” Qrow demanded.

“My father,” she answered him. “He’s done something again.”

Understanding hit Qrow’s face at that. Whether it was gleaned from rumors or the fact that Weiss had outright ran from Atlas, it was clear he knew her father wasn’t good news. “Right.” He turned back to the other two in the room. “So what is it?”

There was another pause, this one shorter as Clover cleared his throat before beginning, “I don’t believe there is any easy way to say this—”

“Ms. Schnee,” the smooth tone of the general’s voice cut in. There was some more hesitance before he continued, “Your father has made a demand of me.”

Weiss waited for him to continue, but when he didn’t, she whispered, “Alright.” Her throat was tightening in anticipation threaded with anxiety.

“He left me no choice but to consider it,” the look in his eyes was sincere. “I would never be speaking to you about it otherwise.”

“Okay,” Weiss could almost hear her heart pounding in her ears as her mind began to spin tales of worrying possibilities. There was clearly something very wrong. Why else would he be preparing her? “What did he ask you?”

She could see Qrow cross his arms in her peripheral vision as she waited, quite literally on the edge of her seat.

But nothing could have prepared her for what came next.

“He wants you to marry the General,” Clover announced and for a moment, Weiss didn’t even understand. At all.

She kept her eyes on the desk in front of her as she tried to comprehend his words, but it was when she heard Qrow’s sharp intake of breath that it slowly began to sink in.

Her father wanted her to _marry_.

He wanted her to marry _General Ironwood_.

What?

She was so… well, shocked, to say the least, that she had no idea just how she was supposed to react.

“Why? Why would he want that?” Her voice was surprisingly stable to her ears. Maybe because she wasn’t feeling the onslaught of anger just yet.

But it’d get there. It always did when it came to her father.

However, she was determined to maintain this conversation civilly.

“Power over the General, a chance to extend influence over the council, an opportunity to rake in popularity for the elections? Take your pick,” the leader of the Ace Ops team shrugged a shoulder. “He would get a lot out of it.”

“But…” Weiss was failing for words, before turning to General Ironwood. “But aren't you—I mean you're...”

“Older than you by fourteen years,” he guessed her train of thought accurately, face just as somber as it had been before. “Something I kept bringing up, not that it mattered.”

He clearly hadn’t meant it that way, but it sent a knife directly to her heart. Of course it wouldn’t have mattered to her father. What about her ever did?

“Are you’re sure he didn’t mean… well, Winter?”

There was a choking sound from next to her and distractedly, she decided to look into that. There were certainly times where she’d thought Qrow and her sister had to be than the _we’ve met before_ Winter gave her back at Vale. But now, most of her attention was on the decisions her father was apparently making about her life without her involvement.

“Not Winter,” the sympathy in General Ironwood’s eyes and the surety in his voice crushed any hope she had that he was wrong. “You. He was clear on that.”

Right. She looked to the ground calmly as she took in a deep breath.

Fine.

So Jacques Schnee wanted her to marry General Ironwood.

Well, tough luck. He wanted her home too, but there was little he could do about it now that she was twenty years old and he couldn’t legally drag her back like he had done when he came for her in Vale after the fall of Beacon.

But that’s when she remembered what the General had said to preface the entire meeting.

That he had no choice but to consider it.

What had _that_ meant?

She raised her eyes back to him, and maybe the confusion was evident on her face, because she got her answer without having to actually ask the question.

Clover who was the one to deliver the hit. “He’s decided to withhold his dust from the military unless the General complies.”

Wait, what?

That was when the determination to keep her emotions in check immediately crumbled. She didn’t know it, but her façade of calmness went right down with it too.

It was when she saw Clover's forehead crease in worry that she realized the hands she had neatly folded on her lap were shaking.

Her father was honestly involving the defense of Atlas in his ridiculous schemes?

_Why?_

So they would comply with his absurd demand?

It took her visible effort to push out the words in her head. “Who… who _does_ that? Who would ever do that to his own _dau_ —” She let out a strangled breath she couldn’t quite keep to herself. Unable to finish, she shoved her face in her hands, not sure whether it was white hot anger washing through her insides or complete and utter hurt.

Because she Jacques Schnee _would_ do that. If he was getting something he wanted out of it, he would do anything.

She thought she was beyond being surprised by anything he did.

But threatening to withdraw the dust supply to the military? Just so General Ironwood would marry her? Was he _insane_?

After he’d taunted her outside the abandoned SDC mine where they’d all completed their first mission, she’d recognized the expression he wore before he’d turned to leave.

The meaningful look in his eyes. That knowing smirk of his.

He was up to something.

But she’d expected more of him making her feel bad about her mother. Not whatever _this_ was.

She felt the weight of a hand on her shoulder as Qrow stepped closer to her. His words, though, were directed to the General. “You said no, right?”

Silence.

Deafening silence.

The implication terrified her.

“Jimmy,” Qrow’s hand fell away from her shoulder as he moved abruptly. She looked up in shock to see him leaning over the desk with a hand braced on it. Clover moved in response too, straightening from the desk in a flash as he took an alert stance, gaze on the red-eyed man.

She watched as General Ironwood raised a hand to tell his huntsman to stand down.

“This is out of the question,” Qrow snapped, the severity of his tone surprising her. “You’re crazy.”

“This isn’t me, Qrow,” the general said with patience. “This is all Jacques Schnee’s doing.”

“Tell him no,” the angered man ordered. “Tell him no and to go fuck himself.”

“He’s already given the order to stop the dust supply. It happened this morning.” Clover informed him and Weiss grit her teeth at the knowledge.

Qrow, however, continued to glare at the General. “This doesn’t make any sense. What does Winter think about all this?”

“She isn't exactly happy, but she sees that we have our hands tied.”

Qrow slammed his fist to the table and Weiss tensed, feeling the energy in the room turn from somewhat negative to clearly disturbing. “What is wrong with you people? She may as well be my niece!”

That’s when the General rose from the chair to tower to his impressive height, snapping up in a way that left the chair behind him to topple over. The sound of it echoed across the large room but he didn't miss a beat as he kept his eyes on the man in front of him. “Do you think I _like_ being backed into a corner? Tell me, what am I supposed to do?”

That was the first time Weiss had ever seen the General raise his voice and lose his cool like that.

Well, she’d _heard_ him lose it before once in her father’s study, hadn't she?

Fairly typical that it would be Jacques Schnee who brought that out in him.

“Not _this_.”

“I’m not doing anything,” the General said back in his calm, low voice, looking more tired than anything before he turned to Weiss. “The ball is in your court, Ms. Schnee. You will make the decision. Saying that, I hope you understand that the situation is bad.”

“I—” Did he want an answer right then? How was she to express her completely confused yet anguished state of mind? Especially when he was asking her something like this?

What was she even supposed to say?

“Take your time,” he murmured, almost like he knew what she was thinking. “We can talk tomorrow.”

“Not without me there,” Qrow growled under his breath in answer to the General and Weiss loosely wondered just how she was going to get any sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yes. Nothing romantic about that. But trust me, we'll get there eventually. This is just the setup. Also, Qrow is clearly the mother hen of the group and I refuse to believe otherwise.
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely didn't mean to take that long to update, but I lost track of time. Anyway, onwards!

She had to talk to her father.

She had to.

That was the only reason she was back in the Schnee mansion—back in that prison.

It worried her that it was a woman from the staff that opened the door and not Klein.

It further worried her that the woman didn't know who she was talking about when she asked about Klein.

His absence set her balance off-kilter the minute she entered the mansion, casting a much darker shadow over her visit than before. The man had served their family faithfully for so many years that she didn't think he could ever be let go. In fact, she'd been looking forward to seeing him after so long.

Clearly, he'd paid the price for helping her leave.

Which was just another reason to hate her father. Honestly, did she need more of those?

She stood outside her father's study by herself, clenching and unclenching her fists. Was this a good idea?

Weiss shook her head at the thought. She'd come here on her own so she could talk to him. She couldn't back out just like that. She needed to do this. How else would she get a read on why he'd created this entire mess?

While General Ironwood had given her the day to think and she'd been grateful for it, what real good was it to have time to think? It wasn't like she had anything more to say now than she had yesterday. Talking to her father never helped anything, but maybe she could figure out his intentions better if she could see him in person.

So she sighed and knocked.

"Come in," she heard him say. Strengthening her resolve, she opened the door and entered.

Weiss didn't know what she imagined his reaction to be, but it certainly wasn't the pleased smile on his face that greeted her appearance. He didn't look shocked at her arrival.

No, in fact, it seemed almost like he was expecting it.

"Dear daughter," he began in that annoyingly grating tone of his. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Why would you pull this stunt?"

 _Now_ her father looked shocked.

Hell, she'd shocked herself. Weiss had never spoken to her father like that her entire life. His demand for utter respect and formality in the household had influenced every thought and action of hers in the mansion.

But she didn't live with him anymore.

He schooled his features immediately. "Why, I have no idea what you mean."

"What do you have to gain?" She demanded in the same manner—calm, but precise. She believed he deserved the worst from her, an utter verbal teardown, but she refused to lower herself to his level and give him satisfaction that he got to her. She refused to do anything other than hold herself with dignity.

Silence.

"Why would you even want to pull dust from the military?"

No answer.

"Just what are you trying to control?" The public? The council? General Ironwood? Her?

She stood there for a moment, waiting for something. Anything.

"I'm thinking of hosting a dinner sometime soon," he announced, as if he hadn't heard a word of what she'd said. "I do hope you can attend. The General too, of course."

It was like talking to a brick wall.

How had she survived all those years here?

She found her eyes wandering over to the portrait on the wall behind him. A younger Jacques Schnee looked off to the side in the frame, but with the exact same arrogance in his eyes as the older one. And so she wondered—like she always did when she saw that picture of him—whether he'd always been the man he was today, or had time run him ragged?

But she knew him. She'd known him for years.

So she knew it wasn't time's fault.

How did a person not have a single redeeming quality in him?

"I will discuss the details of the wedding with the both of you myself," he went on and her eyes snapped to his quickly. He, however, busied himself with sorting the documents on his table as if he'd just made an offhand comment about the weather.

"I don't believe we've agreed to it yet."

The condescending chuckle he let out angered her. He may as well have tagged a malicious _you will_ to his response.

Honestly, why did she subject herself to this again?

She turned on her heel and marched to the door.

"Weiss," he called out and she paused with her hand on the doorknob. "Remember this. I allowed you to leave once. It won't happen again."

A white-hot surge of resentment washed through her at the statement. Really, just who did he think he was? With all his past transgressions against his own family, wasn't this situation just the cherry on top of the cake?

She steeled herself and pushed through the door despite how much the threat worried her.

* * *

"Hey, Weiss, you okay?" Ruby asked.

The two of them were pretty much done with their mission for the day—clearing out the way for a supply run to Amity Colosseum. There hadn't been a lot of Grimm, but it was good enough to give Weiss a break from her thoughts.

She stopped short at the question.

She didn't think she'd behaved any different than her normal, but then again, it was Ruby. Her partner. They were so in tune with each other, Weiss had no doubt she'd know if something was upsetting her friend.

So maybe it wasn't a stretch to think Ruby could too.

"I'm fine," she replied as they walked back towards the truck that would take them to Atlas. "Why do you ask?"

"Come on, Weiss," the girl bumped her shoulder into hers. "You're clearly off."

"I'm off?"

"Uh, _yeah_. Not to mention, Blake made some comment about how she noticed you tossing and turning in your bed all night when you're usually the first one to go to sleep. What's up?"

"Ruby, sleeping a bit later than normal one night isn't exactly a red flag."

"Maybe not but it's clear you've got something on your mind." Her friend's voice got lower and her steps slowed. "You went to visit your father in the morning, and we all know you're not on the greatest terms. Is everything okay? Is this about him?"

 _Not quite_ , she wanted to say. But she was certainly looking in the right direction.

In all honesty, she was stunned Ruby had managed to piece together this much of what she knew just because Weiss apparently seemed off. Moments like this reminded her of how far the girl had come as a leader, teammate and friend.

And it seemed like Weiss couldn't entirely dodge anymore.

Not entirely sure just what she was going to say, she turned to Ruby, only for something to catch her attention over her friend's shoulder.

 _Winter_.

It was the back of her older sister, heading into a supply truck a little way further from them, and Weiss knew she had to hurry before she left.

"I'm going to catch a ride with my sister," she found herself saying. "But we'll talk when I get back, okay?"

"Okay," Ruby's reply was hesitant. "See you."

With a quick nod, Weiss hurried to the truck her sister was climbing into the passenger seat of. "Winter!"

The older Schnee turned in the middle of closing her door, surprised to see her there. "Weiss. Is everything okay?"

"We need to talk." She thought that was a pretty safe opening.

Curious attention sparked in her sister's eyes before she turned and nodded once at the military officer looking questioningly at them from the driver's seat. She hopped out then, closing the door behind her, before gesturing to the truck. "Let's go to the back."

Weiss trailed her sister into the truck which seemed to be full of empty boxes and crates, following suit when Winter seated herself on top of one. The vehicle hummed to life as soon as they were seated and started pulling away from Amity not long after. Winter stayed silent throughout all of it, eyes on her sister.

So Weiss didn't beat around the bush. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

Winter's eyes widened before she closed them almost resignedly. "You know."

"I know," she confirmed unnecessarily.

"So that means the General has made his choice," Winter concluded, opening her eyes to gaze at her sister. "Not that there was really a choice anymore, but still."

"Winter, why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't long ago that I found out myself. There was no point in upsetting you when we weren't entertaining his preposterous demand." Winter's eyebrows descended into a frown as she went on, "I thought I would stop being surprised when it came to him, but this certainly threw me. Honestly, I was so angry. How dare he?”

Times where Winter would divulge her emotions were always few and far in between, so Weiss knew this was as troubling to her sister as it was to her.

At least she always had Winter.

"What's so important that he pulled out all the stops?" She wondered out loud. "And… why me? Why this?"

Her sister's face changed at that and the look Weiss read in her eyes was the one she'd see on her frequently where their father was concerned—far, far too jaded for her age. "What do you think?"

_I allowed you to leave once. It won't happen again._

It seemed to be a reach, but was this really even about the council or the public? Or was it exactly like what her father was: a spiteful man who kept grudges? Would it not be just like him to magnify his counterattack against General Ironwood? Against her?

Or was she asking the wrong questions? Maybe there was more going on than she thought.

How could you tell with Jacques Schnee?

"I was so angry, Weiss." Winter repeated, the admission soft as a breath. "I wanted nothing more than to punch father in his proud face."

Oh, she could relate to that.

"You know, I went to see him this morning," she confessed and watched her older sister raise her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Didn't take you for a masochist."

Weiss huffed out a humorless laugh at that. That's what talking to him often felt like, alright.

"He's had enough time to get used to the fact that I'm out of his reach," said Winter in a quiet voice. "But I don't think he sees you leaving quite the same way."

No kidding.

"The General said no, you know," her sister told her and Weiss looked back to her. "They've been arguing about it since father proposed it. He wasn't going to budge, but then yesterday father pulled out the big guns. That's when we knew we couldn't bury the entire thing and might just have to tell you."

Right.

Weiss sighed heavily at that. That was all fine, but it still left the question of the next move.

"It's just… I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say," Weiss admitted. "I'm confused because it seems like General Ironwood's ready to do this." He'd told her it was her decision, but was it really?

Could she even say no?

"Well, if you say no, he could always declare martial law and commandeer the dust on his own," Winter shrugged a shoulder casually before one side of her lips kicked up. "But that might be a bit too super-villainy for the General-Headmaster of Atlas, don't you think? Because there's no coming back from all that. God knows we considered it."

"Wow, that helps," Weiss muttered dryly. Of course her sister's jokes would be like this.

The smile dropped from her sister's face as it turned serious once more. "This is your decision, Weiss. The situation is precarious at best. Atlas military is in top shape and I would wager it doesn't require dust in order to protect the city from Grimm. However, for the fight with Salem…" Her voice trailed off. "… we'd need it. More than that, we'd need the city to be united and strong. We can't have citizens falling into the depths of despair they'd be in if he halts company operations. Without things going the way we've planned, we'd just be reaching in the dark."

Weiss wasn't quite keeping up. "Halting company operations…?"

"That's what father intends to do next."

"What?" She raised her eyebrows. "But that would take jobs away from _thousands_ —"

"Yes." Her tone was matter of fact.

"Why would he _want_ to cause alarm in the city? I don't understand."

"Quit trying to, Weiss. You know the one thing that never fit that man? Reason."

Well, that was true.

But why so much effort for something like this? It was a complete mystery to her.

Either way, they needed to fix this entire disaster before the bigger fight out there reached them.

"Like I said, I’m not pleased with how any of this came about, but… I’ve had some time to think it over.” Winter seemed to be watching her carefully as she continued, “And I believe it might do more good than you think."

Weiss was stunned at her sister's statement. "I'm sorry?"

"It might do more good than you think," her sister said again. "Just talk to the General about this."

Right. What kind of good comes from all this? Weiss had so many questions still, but at this point all she could focus on was that she felt tired.

There was some silence before her sister spoke up again. "The General—he's a good man. A really good man. I'd go far enough to say one of the best. If you end up agreeing… he'd treat you well, Weiss. I know it."

Weiss felt her shoulders depress at that. "Right."

"Believe me when I say that."

Weiss wondered if she could take a nap. Just take a nap and forget all this was even happening. With how tired she felt, she could probably go to sleep right there in the truck.

"Weiss?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm always here for you."

Weiss didn't think she could make the effort to smile just then, but she hoped the look she gave her conveyed the warmth she felt at that.

It would be impossible to list all the reasons why, but her sister was everything to Weiss. She might've grown up on tough love from Winter, but there'd been love. There'd been respect, recognition and encouragement—which was more than what could be said for the rest of their family.

Therefore, wherever her mind took her in the end, she would definitely be taking her sister's opinion into consideration.

"So," Winter darted a quick look up ahead out the window. "Do you want me to drop you off at the academy dorms?"

Best get it done with, right?

"No. The General's office, please."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was pretty much the gist of her relationship with her father, and the first glimpse of Winter. We'll certainly be seeing more of both ahead. Let me know what you think so far!
> 
> Wishing everyone a happy new year!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last week's update got delayed because I had exams, but I'm finally free from all that and back! Enjoy!

Weiss remembered something about her first ever recital.

There wasn’t a whole lot of that day she could recall because she’d been very young, but there was a part of the evening she could never forget: right before the beginning. How nervous she felt. How clammy her hands were. How anxious she was to do get it right. All of those little things she could remember in stark detail.

She felt an echo of that as she stood outside General Ironwood’s office.

Nervous, uneasy and hesitant.

Well. No sense in dilly-dallying.

She knocked on the door.

There was a muffled, “Come in,” in response, so she opened the door to peek inside.

The General was alone in his office, seated at his table. He had a display open in front of him through his scroll, showing what looked like an Atlas specialist standing inside Amity.

“… so the estimate is that Phase One should be completed within two days’ time, Sir,” was what the man from the display was saying. She watched as the General’s face registered surprise at her arrival, before he promptly turned his gaze back to reply to the man. “Alright. That will be all, Carver.”

She stepped inside and closed the door softly behind her, watching as he pressed a button on the scroll to end the display. “Ms. Schnee, I didn’t expect you to come.”

She froze by the door, wondering if she’d done something wrong. Of course he didn’t expect her to be there, she hadn’t exactly asked, had she? “I—I can come back later—”

“I assure you, that is not what I meant,” he interrupted her in his calm tone of voice before standing up. He made his way around the table and she blinked as she watched him approach.

He _towered_.

She always knew he was tall, but she didn't think she ever had a moment of comparison up this close.

“I assume you want to talk about what happened yesterday.”

“I did,” she answered unsurely. “But if this is a bad time…”

“It isn’t.” He shook his head. “I’m sure you have questions. Ask me whatever you wish to know.”

She wanted to know _everything_. Where did she even begin? “Probably how all this started?”

“Of course,” he turned away, holding his hands behind him and she frowned in confusion. It was when he turned back to look at her over his shoulder that the invitation to walk with him was apparent. She made her way to join him as he began walking towards his table.

“If I’m honest, that’s… a tricky one. The first time Jacques spoke of this was actually when he brought you back from Vale after Beacon fell.”

And the punches just kept on coming.

“Back then?” She breathed.

“Yes,” he led the way around the desk. “I’d arrived to talk over the idea of the embargo with him. It was then that he said he wanted to hear my thoughts on something, and that was when he mentioned the idea.”

The revelation left a sour taste in her mouth. That had been more than two years ago.

When she was still technically underage.

They came to a stop in front of the large window. “I was shocked to say the least. Offended. Wondering just what exactly was wrong with him. I couldn’t even fathom it—I believe you hadn’t even hit your eighteenth birthday back then. I simply called him crazy and stormed out. We never spoke of it afterwards.”

“But… then he saw me at the old SDC mine after the mission with the Ace Ops,” Weiss guessed and the look in his eyes confirmed she was right.

“Yes,” he nodded at her. “He visited my office later that evening to quite plainly state that either I marry you, or he was going to withdraw the company’s dust from the military.”

Weiss turned away from his gaze, closing her eyes to herself in the face of the utter embarrassment that resulted from being related to Jacques Schnee.

“So if he hadn’t seen me there that day, he wouldn’t have done that?”

“No.” There was a small moment of pause after which he went on. “It wouldn’t matter. You were back in Atlas. He would’ve known sooner or later.”

There was that.

“Right,” she muttered, and he continued.

“Well, as you can imagine, I reacted… negatively to that. I then informed Clover and your sister about it so we could think on a plan of action. Then yesterday he shut off the dust supply to our main weapons unit.”

“Oh, God,” she groaned to herself. “What is he thinking?”

He let out a dry chuckle. “If you ever figure that out, let me know.”

“I just don’t get it. Why go this far?”

“He’s taking part in the upcoming elections, so it’s as Clover said. We think it’s probably to get him sway over the council and the public.”

If that's what he wanted, then fine. The problem was, how did wanting that equal the two of them getting married of all things? Weiss knew Winter was right when she told her that reason and their father weren’t a good fit together, but she also knew she wasn’t deluding herself by thinking there was more to this.

“If that isn’t enough, maybe he’s aiming at me and striking back for all the times I didn’t put his company ahead of the needs of the city.” The General stated and Weiss found herself nodding to that.

The notion didn’t seem far-fetched. Her father was the type of person who could go to lengths to exact vengeance over trivialities, and the fact that he was fuming over the dust embargo was hardly a secret.

But again, why her? Simply because she left?

It was then that she caught the look on the General’s face. His expression was one of conflict, as if he was debating whether to say something or not and of course that immediately sparked her curiosity. The struggle was short-lived, because only a moment later he added, “Or maybe this is also aimed at you and he wants to marry you off to the one man that he knows will never leave Atlas.”

Put like that, every single piece of the puzzle in her head came together with the utmost clarity.

_I allowed you to leave once. It won’t happen again._

God.

The General’s statement hit her with the weight of a freight train as she closed her eyes and whispered. “Right.”

Now wasn’t that just perfect for her father? Multiple birds and just one stone. It had to please him wholly, to be able to mete out retribution for everything he felt he was wronged for _and_ reap the many benefits along the way.

How did he come up with one plan to take care of it all?

He’d clearly carefully thought it out. Which had to mean that the first time her father suggested it to General Ironwood two years ago had to be much more heedless and something he himself hadn’t considered that much.

However, that had evidently changed.

She was suddenly feeling the need for sleep catching up to her now.

This was _such_ a mess.

“I know this isn’t ideal,” General Ironwood began. “But I see the silver lining in it.”

“There’s a silver lining?” She raised her eyebrows at him. She couldn’t wait to hear this.

“I believe the publicity will be beneficial. You are the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, a hero that fought in Vale and, quite simply put, the media darling of Atlas. Such an agreement could be of great help. For one, it would be a good distraction, cushioning the negativity of the upcoming elections.” He explained. “And should you choose to marry me and influence the popular opinion, people might see me in a different light and be inclined to trust me more. They might just trust the fact that the embargo isn’t to hurt us, it’s to _protect us_.” There was no defensiveness there. Just tired acceptance of the fact that the people of Atlas were losing their faith in the recent moves of the military.

And that actually sounded somewhat reasonable, Weiss realized.

This had to be the good Winter was talking about, she thought. An event like this would be big—definitely a good distraction. And if she could get people to see the General differently, maybe it would help them meet less resistance in their goal to brace Atlas and Mantle for what was yet to come.

Except for one thing, though.

“I’m not the heiress anymore,” she muttered, the words feeling like salt in a wound. “He kind of took that away from me.”

His brow furrowed as he looked to her, seemingly confused. “I wasn’t aware he could do that.”

“Sorry?” Of course he could. Her mother might have been the original heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, but it was her father who operated it now. He could do whatever he wanted, if the present situation wasn't an indicator.

An odd look crossed the General’s face before he turned back to looking out the window. “Even so, he never made that public. For all intents and purposes, that’s who you still are.”

Well… maybe, she thought.

“You know, we even considered telling him everything,” he went on, surprising her with what he was saying. “About Salem. About the coming war. All of it. But with Amity not even done yet, it was determined it’d be too much of a risk. Especially with Jacques.”

She couldn’t disagree with that.

Weiss found herself looking out of the window, out into the snow-covered horizon—a scene she had always liked to watch from the peace of quiet of her room in the mansion.

She had fled the beautiful city because every moment in the mansion had started to feel like being in a prison. Did this agreement mean she was just swapping one prison for another?

“This has to be difficult for you,” he spoke softly. “I know coming to terms with the situation wasn’t easy for me.”

Imagine what it’s like when it’s your father, she thought to herself.

“But I hope you understand that with the dust supply gone, I don’t see much of a choice. As I said, I actually see this how this could _help_ the way things are right now.”

“I understand what you’re trying to say, I just… I thought maybe getting away from him would finally end it,” she muttered. “But all this means I’m right back where I started, under his thumb, just like the beginning.” Her father would essentially be back to peering over her shoulder with his condescending looks and cruel words. He’d be back to manipulating her emotions and actions the best he could. She’d be back to walking on eggshells because anything she did could reach his ears and she would have to deal with it if he didn’t like it.

It’s not like she depended on him anymore, but as he’d recently demonstrated, he could still make her struggle.

Especially if he brought up her mother.

“Ms. Schnee.” When he didn’t continue, she got the feeling that he wanted her to look at him. She turned her gaze from the window to the General, taking in his intent gaze. “… I don’t intend on letting him control me.”

The words were slow and quiet. Like he was letting her in on a secret, but she didn’t quite understand what he meant by that. Didn’t the marriage itself mean that her father would have control?

“What do you mean?”

“If this happens, if we do this—once the contract for the dust is secured, we don’t need to pay him any heed.”

Her lost expression had to speak for her because he went on further.

“The dust is all we really need, while what he wants is the marriage. After both those things are done, there’s no need for to bend to him anymore. If he thinks he’d have a hold over us through the marriage, then we prove him wrong. We snare him in the trap he thinks he set for us. Once we marry, he simply does not factor anymore. He’s gone. He will not control you ever again. You can be sure of that.”

His gaze was strong, solid. Like him. Like the conviction in his words. “He will not control you, nor me. I will treat you well, Weiss. I will keep you safe. You’ll want for nothing.”

She didn't know how to feel about that, but he wasn’t done delivering blows.

“Your father will not touch you.”

Her breath caught in her throat at the words. Did he know?

No. He couldn’t.

He couldn’t possibly know how her father expressed his displeasure at home. It was occasional when he raised his hand to her. Whenever it happened, it was always a shock. Despite how livid it made her, she’d always been able to take it. She’d just never been able to watch.

When Winter used to talk back to him. When her mother got into arguments with him.

Back then, Weiss could always handle what he dished out, but she couldn’t watch when he did it to others.

Her mind had wandered, so she turned back to the question at hand. The General couldn’t know about any of that. Was he just that intuitive?

Or maybe he hadn’t meant it the way she was reading it. Maybe his words weren’t that literal. Maybe he only meant that she’d be out of her father’s reach.

Which would be good, because she wasn’t sure she wanted to dredge up memories of old hurt like that again.

“What's wrong?” His words were soft, so soft, but still managed to penetrate the fog in her head.

Winter knew the General and she greatly respected him. Qrow knew the General and they were good friends.

What she herself knew of the General, she knew she trusted.

He was nothing like her father. He was a _good_ person.

“So a fake marriage?” She didn’t trust her voice not to waver if she spoke anything above a whisper.

Didn’t she deserve her fairy tale? Her happy ever after? Was Jacques Schnee going to rid her of that after all?

There a moment of silence.

“It doesn’t have to be,” he said with a slight shrug of the shoulder.

Her cheeks flamed at that. What was he saying?

“Maybe it could be a partnership,” he elaborated. “Or it could be fake, just for pretenses. I’ll leave that up to you.”

She turned back to the window, thoughts buzzing.

“Or we could find our way together as we go,” he continued in an offer. “Figure out and learn the new normal. With trust, communication and no one to force our decisions.”

 _Yes_.

“I like that,” she admitted in the same tone. She felt him turn to her, but she kept her eyes averted, looking out the window.

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” his decisive tone was enough to just make her believe it was easy.

Maybe it could be?

There was silence as she watched the roads below while he watched her.

“And we’ll never fall into his games after this is done?” _Will I find myself bending to his will again?_

“Never,” the word quiet but strong—so much so that she actually believed it.

She took a deep breath and then turned to him. “Okay.”

The tension in his expression slackened as his eyebrows unfurrowed, and eyes relaxed the slightest bit.

“Okay,” he gave her a small, weary smile. A smile, she noticed, made him look years younger. 

That was when the door to his office burst open and a familiar voice sounded across the room, “Jimmy, where’s the girl, dammit, she’s not in her roo—”

Qrow’s hassled face changed into a surprised one as he took in the two of them standing by the window. “Oh.”

“Stick around, Qrow,” invited the General. “We have much to discuss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is much to still be addressed, but at least the decision has finally been made! Thoughts?


	4. Chapter 4

“No,” snapped the man in the chair.

“Qrow,” the General said patiently, seated in his own chair across from him.

“ _No_.”

“She is the one who made her choice.”

The man with the red-colored eyes turned to look at Weiss. “Well, you clearly made the wrong one. Think it through again.”

“Honestly, Qrow.”

“You may be used to barking out orders and getting your way, but this is a hard no, Jimmy.”

“Just take a minute and—”

“I don't think you—”

“It’s fine,” Weiss’s tone was soft but effective as Qrow still stopped talking to hear her out. “We discussed it. If it gets back the dust to the military, distracts the public and quiets my father, it’s fine. It—it’s okay. I’m in.”

“Kid…” Qrow’s voice trailed off and she saw that his expression was one of genuine hesitation.

She knew why he was reluctant. In their entire experience that led them journeying to Atlas, Qrow had been right there with them, watching over everyone. He'd done his best to make sure they were all safe, and if she were to hazard a guess, a responsibility like that wasn't something he could simply shrug off.

He was easily more of a father figure to her than her real one.

“I understand the stakes," she summoned all the hope she had into surety and conviction as she looked into his eyes and watched him gauge her.

A moment later, he heaved a sigh and closed his eyes in resignation.

“… fine. I don’t like it, but whatever. Fine.”

She let out her own breath of relief at that. So Qrow was in.

For the hundredth time that evening, she hoped this wasn't a mistake.

Qrow looked back to his friend. “So I’m guessing we’re making a show of it?”

Weiss was surprised at how he quickly he narrowed in on that without them having to tell him about the benefit of working that angle.

“That would help,” answered the General.

“Fine,” he muttered. “How big of a show we need?”

“Enough for all of Atlas and Mantle to watch.” Weiss winced at General Ironwood's response.

“Well, damn. Don’t do things halfway, do you?”

“Now what would be the point of that?”

“What do we do now?” She piped up, thinking that was the most appropriate question at the moment. It was necessary to know the next move. Would it begin immediately, or would they have a schedule for all this?

The General considered her question. “I will… convey to your father our decision. We can set a meeting and work out the conditions then. I’ll look into that.”

Ah, so it was a bit of both.

His answer instantly cemented the fact that this was now happening.

Oh boy.

“Got it,” she murmured and gestured to the door. “I guess I’ll… tell my friends.”

“You do that,” Qrow mumbled. “I’ll stay here. The General and I still have a lot to talk about.”

Well. She didn’t feel sorry ducking out of that conversation at all.

The walk back to the dorms was almost relaxing in the cold air. Perhaps it was because she’d finally made a decision?

Or maybe it was the future implications of the decision she’d made that felt like it might be something good after all.

 _Might_ being the key word, she pointed out to herself.

She shook her head to herself to dispel the thought. No way was she going down that rabbit hole again.

All the anger and apprehension that had been present since last night was gone, replaced with a small ball of uneasiness in the back of her mind. That was better, she thought. It was far better, because her mind felt clearer now. The uneasiness was not something carelessly overlooked, but at least she felt lighter. Like she wasn’t weighed down by her father anymore, coupled with the prospect that she never would be again.

And that was a good thought. A great one, in fact.

Which left her to the task at hand: telling her friends.

Yes, she was sure that would be just lovely.

Weiss opened the door see Yang standing in the middle of their room talking animatedly, “…so with that out of the way, I totally took that Beowolf down with just one punch in the face!”

Blake stood smiling next to the blonde as she watched on with her arms crossed across her chest. Across from them, seated on her bed was Ruby as she delightedly listened to her sister recount her day—both of them looking over as Weiss entered the room.

The younger girl perked up. “Weiss, you’re back!”

Yang turned to smile at her, and Weiss watched as it faltered when the girl took her in. “Uh, hey, everything good?”

So they all knew something was up. Great.

“What’s is it, Weiss?” Blake asked her and she exhaled loudly at that.

She took a moment to take them in. The worried look on Ruby’s face. The wariness on Blake’s. The confusion of Yang’s.

Just rip off the band-aid, she told herself.

“I’m getting married.”

She saw their flabbergasted faces and went on hurriedly, “To General Ironwood.”

“H—huh?” Yang spluttered.

There was silence for a moment as she watched all three of them staring back at her with their eyes wider than she’d ever seen, and she started biting the inside of her cheek as she wondered just how they were going to take it. Weren’t there just so many ways this could possibly go?

“Um, Weiss?” The blatant concern in Blake’s eyes mirrored the tone of her voice.

She also didn’t miss how Yang subtly looked around like she expected hidden cameras in the room. The only one she couldn’t quite tag was Ruby, who looked just as floored as the others, but wasn’t really saying anything.

The silence stretched on and even though it might’ve only been a few seconds, it felt like eons to Weiss. Mainly because silence wasn’t very Ruby-like and that felt somewhat alarming to Weiss.

“ _Oh_ ,” said Yang in realization, probably grasping that it wasn’t a prank. “Um, _why_?”

Weiss thought of all the possible things she could say. “Think of it as… arranged by my father.”

Well, it was, wasn’t it?

“And… you’re okay with that?” Blake wanted to know, studying her closely.

“I—yes. I’m okay with it.”

“B—But—wait, _what?_ ” Yang was back to struggling with words. “ _Marriage_. You’re getting _married_?”

Weiss thought it safe to nod slowly at the blonde, who just looked more baffled by the affirmation. She then found her eyes straying back to the younger girl in the room and tried her best to push the nerves aside as she asked, “Ruby?”

A beat went by.

Was she really that shocked that she had nothing to say? Now Weiss felt bad for just springing it on her like that.

But it turned out that she was wrong. Honestly, with all the time she’d spent with the girl, Weiss should have known better.

As ever, she was completely stupefied by Ruby.

“You’re the first of Team RWBY to get married!” The girl practically looked like she had stars in her eyes as she bounced excitedly on her bed. “Oh, I can’t believe it—I’m so happy!”

_What?_

Weiss raised her eyebrows, astonished.

Of course.

Ruby never quite reacted the way one would expect her to.

“—is it going to be? How are you doing it? Do you know what you want to wear? When is it happening?”

“Oh boy,” she said under her breath as she took in how thrilled her teammate looked.

“Wait just a second. Marriage? Really?” Yang asked again, seemingly stuck as she looked around. “I never knew any of us ever wanted to get married.”

“Well, I do,” Blake, who’d been pretty quiet up until then, confessed. “I mean, I always have.”

“Yeah! I can’t wait to teach my kids how to wield their very own scythe!” Ruby revealed in a happy cry and Yang made a sour face.

“I am _so_ not ever getting married.”

Weiss blinked. Of all the possible ways she thought this would go, this was not turning out like anything she had expected.

Blake’s attention, however, came right back to Weiss. “So, um, the general? Isn’t that, I don’t know, weird for you?”

“You have no idea,” she thought it safe to admit.

“How much older is he?” The dark-haired girl asked her, and Weiss recalled what the General had said back in the office.

“Fourteen years.”

"Oh."

“Isn’t that a lot?” Ruby wondered out loud and Blake shrugged a shoulder at her.

“My dad is fourteen years older than my mom. They’re doing pretty good.”

Now that, for some reason, caught Weiss’s attention. She couldn’t help the weight that statement garnered from her. Blake’s parents had fourteen years between them, and they were doing pretty good.

Hmm.

But then again, what would that matter? She reasoned with herself. It wasn’t like they were getting married for anything other than necessity.

“Huh. _Marriage_ ,” Yang said slowly before letting out a laugh. “Well. At least he’s hot, right?”

“Yang!” Blake looked scandalized.

Weiss, used to hearing Yang’s inappropriate jokes about the General ever since they got to Atlas, just turned to look at her hands. She felt that weightless feeling again, the significant lightness of her shoulders that was present during her walk and wondered if anything could really be bad if it was attached to a feeling like that. Vaguely, she could hear Blake scolding the blonde, but it was when she felt a nudge to her side that she looked up.

“You’re good?” Ruby asked. Weiss stared, not sure when the girl had even gotten down from her bed.

She smiled at her and funny enough, it didn’t feel like a difficult task to accomplish. “Yeah.”

“Good,” she smiled back, before declaring loudly to the room, “We’re going to need bridesmaid dresses!”

“Okay, since when do you care about bridesmaid dresses? Or dresses in general?” Yang narrowed her eyes. “I thought you hated that stuff.”

“Since my best friend is getting married!” Ruby responded with the same fervor before heading to her sister.

“Ruby,” Weiss felt the need to caution, “I think the dresses can wait. I don’t even know when the wedding is happening.”

“All the more reason to be ready!”

“Well, I probably should make a hair appointment sometime soon then.” Yang seemed to be thinking out loud. "Weiss, you know a good place here to do that?"

Ruby snorted. “Oh, you and your hair!”

“What? You think a beautiful mane like this just _happens_?”

The sisters continued that line of discussion and Weiss tuned out as Blake got close to her.

“So is this why you’ve been weird lately?”

Oh. She definitely hadn't been expecting that. “Well, I guess.”

“When—How long did you know about this?”

“I found out a little while ago.” Answering politically was never a problem with Weiss. Growing up as a Schnee, that was one of the prime things she was well-versed in. “It was still iffy then. Now that things are more decided, I wanted to tell you guys.”

Blake took a moment to process that. “Right. And you’re okay? Like, really?”

She almost wanted to laugh at the amount of times she’d been asked that question since all of this started.

But she understood where Blake was coming from. She had, after all, dumped this news on them out of blue. There were things they'd want to know, most of all if she was alright.

“I am,” she gave her the same smile she’d given Ruby—assuring and calm. “Don’t worry.”

Her friend smiled back. “Okay. That's good. Now unless you have a date on it yet, I’m thinking we should rein in Ruby.”

The both of them turned to see the girl in question shoving her scroll in her older sister’s face as she cried, “See! A dress _can_ have a hood. Dibs.”

“There’s no point in calling dibs when no one else wants that,” Yang explained to her in exasperation. “Not to mention, the kind of hood _you_ want on a dress is just stupid. It’s basically the same one you had before. A cape.”

Weiss inwardly shuddered at the visual they were painting and Blake just laughed quietly.

“But it _will_ look nice!” Argued Ruby in clear affront.

Yes, Weiss thought. Someone certainly needed to put a stop to this before it got out of hand.

* * *

Weiss exited their room to greet the guest that stood there, proper as ever, hands folded behind her, chin up and eyes guarded.

Winter had knocked on their room a moment ago wanting to see Weiss, which was certainly a one-of-a-kind occurrence. Her sister had never come all the way to their Academy dorm room to see her—they usually took their time in the training room—but then again, Weiss had a good guess why she was here now.

“I heard you made your choice,” Winter dove straight in, her face giving nothing away.

Weiss closed the door behind her before properly facing her sister. “I did.”

“I know it must have been difficult,” there was a flicker of emotion on her face before she continued quietly, “I’m proud of you, Weiss.”

And there is was. The cushion that gentled the ball of uneasiness still present in the back of her mind.

Cautiously but surely, she smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was Team RWBY's reaction! For some reason, I always thought it'd be like this: just all over the place xD  
> Thoughts?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're all well :) Enjoy!

“We’ve worked out the terms for the dust acquisition."

Weiss let out a deep breath at the General's announcement. At least there was that, right?

It was a couple of days later, just before the decided time for the meeting set to happen between them and her father. A specialist had delivered the message for her to come by earlier than planned that morning, which led to her wondering if she should be concerned. But then again, the meeting hadn’t even happened yet, so there couldn’t be anything new thrown their way to worry about.

She had a feeling it was to brief her, or at the very least, give her a heads up of what to expect.

So far, it was looking like she was right.

“All that remains is to discuss the terms of the wedding,” he went on, and she nodded at that. “You should know that the contract for the dust is ironclad. But then so is the marriage.”

Uh oh. “What do you mean?”

“The contract works as long as the marriage is valid.”

Well, she figured as much. It was nice of him to warn her of that, but wasn’t that understood?

What was the point of all of this if they were to get married only to end it at the earliest possible convenience? No doubt her father would have thought that through. “Got it.”

The both of them were standing in front of the window behind his desk, once again looking over chilly downtown Atlas in a manner similar to the first time she had a talk with him two days ago.

He really did have a nice view here, she distractedly thought to herself.

“He also wants the wedding to be a week from now,” he informed her, and she looked to him in surprise.

“That’s… fast,” she commented, watching as he nodded his assent towards the window. “I get it, though. Best to get it over with, right?”

“A week from now would certainly be ideal,” was his response, and she wondered just how critical current matters actually were in the city for him to say that.

Well, it was all the same to her.

It was happening—they were getting married. Did it really matter if it was a few months later or a week later?

Winter and Qrow would be arriving soon, she thought to herself. A glance at the clock on the opposite wall said was almost five in the evening, the agreed upon time for the meeting.

She wondered how long the meeting would actually take. She’d agreed to going out for dinner with the girls that night, so she certainly hoped not too long.

It was as she was thinking all this that he suddenly turned his gaze from the window to her, eyes inquisitive. “The main reason I asked you here before the meeting was to ascertain your wishes. Tell me what you would want.”

The invitation caught her off guard. “From the wedding?”

“From the entire negotiation,” he clarified, and she found herself drawing a blank.

What did she want from the negotiation? Was there really anything she even wanted from her father?

A moment of careful consideration later, only one thing came to mind.

“I don’t want it dragged out, becoming a whole thing,” Weiss stated, knowing well her how excessive her father was. “Only one day—a whole show, big as you need it to be. But just that one day.”

She hoped what she asked for didn't in some way clash with the General's plans of how things were supposed to go down. Wouldn't that just be her luck as of late, though?

The look he gave her in answer made her feel much better about what she said. “It’s good to know we’re on the same page.”

Yes, she thought. It certainly was.

* * *

“It will be as a Schnee wedding should be—the best thing Atlas has ever seen. No expense will be spared,” Jacques declared. “The entire affair should be nothing short of extraordinary.”

Appearances were important to him, so Weiss had expected nothing else.

Well. They’d already decided they wanted to go big on the wedding anyway, so this was good.

They were on the line with her father. The vision of Jacques Schnee faced General Ironwood, who sat back in his chair with a controlled ease, with his scroll open in front of him.

This was so much better than having to meet her father face to face, she thought. This way, she could see him but he couldn’t see her from where she sat, and that was better because it saved her from unnecessary looks and remarks she could always do without. This was good, because she had the upper hand in an environment she was good with.

Which was another thing. She was actually good here, like this. With her sister standing next to her, Qrow leaning on the desk as he looked over his shoulder to her father and General Ironwood seated in his place.

She felt comfortable here.

“That’s fine,” the General’s face as well as his response was carefully masked.

Hmm.

So he wasn’t letting on that that was exactly what he’d wanted.

Which had to be a deliberate move.

But why? Why keep that from him?

Wait.

He was the one who held the power in this exchange, she realized with a start. Not Jacques Schnee. Him. He wasn’t giving away anything they wanted—he was simply checking off and giving the go ahead to her father’s demands that he was okay with. It was General Ironwood who was signing off his approval.

Huh.

“And I hope to walk my daughter down the aisle, of course. Will that be agreeable?” Weiss focused back on what Jacques was saying and she could barely fight the urge to roll her eyes.

Winter faced no such struggle as she let out a scoff under her breath.

So he wanted to pretend to be a father in front of everyone at the wedding? Again, it wasn’t shocking that he was all about keeping up the façade.

To her surprise, the General cast a glance her way.

It was like he was voicing his very own question, and she could read it on him easily. He was looking at her like that was her call, like letting Jacques do that was her choice.

Weiss nodded quickly at him and he then turned back to the scroll. “That’s fine too.”

She appreciated that—him silently asking her permission where she was involved.

“Now is there anything that you want, James?”

“Yes,” he said. “You ask for a grand event, you’ll have it. But it’s not going to be dragged out over a series of happenings. It’ll be just one day where we get this done—just the wedding.” That was what Weiss had wanted—the one thing she’d asked for.

There was a pause before her father let out a sigh.

She then noticed another detail about the General’s negotiating style that seemed to stand out.

He wasn’t asking.

Rather, he was informing her father how it was going to be.

Interesting.

She found her eyes wandering around the office. She had never thought much of it because there wasn’t much there in the first place—it was a large room with one entire wall acting as a window, and the General’s desk further into the room. Nothing to dissect, really.

But it was now that she was noticing the bookshelves lining one wall, stuffed full of books, piles of paper, files and whatnot. She wondered about those books—were they the kind she’d find in the Academy library? There wasn’t much to speculate about the files, though.

She might be wrong, but the General really didn’t strike her as the paperwork kind of guy.

But he was the General _and_ the Headmaster. She supposed a certain amount of paperwork came with the territory.

“Anything else?” She heard her father’s voice.

A nudge at her shoulder from Winter had her focusing on her. She was looking straight ahead, though, so Weiss followed her line of sight to whatever her sister wanted her attention on.

General Ironwood was looking at her again, as if waiting for a response like before.

She raised her eyebrows at him, because she was pretty sure no one had spoken to her.

“Anything else?” He repeated Jacques’s question to her and understanding dawned.

He was giving her the chance to add something if she wanted to.

She took a moment to wonder if there anything else she wanted for the wedding.

Not really.

But from her father generally? Perhaps.

Maybe a gesture of goodwill that the man did not have.

Well, here goes nothing, she thought, before addressing her father directly, "If Mother knows about any of this, don’t tell her how it all happened.”

It was for the best. She definitely didn’t want to give her mother the added grief that knowledge would bring. Next to her, she could feel Winter stiffen ever so slightly in anticipation of his response and could bet everything that her sister agreed with her request.

“Protecting your mother, as ever,” chuckled her father and she tamped down the need to let out a long-suffering sigh.

Her father was truly one of a kind.

He continued. “No need to bother with that, I will tell her nothing of the sort.”

Okay.

If he actually stuck to that, that was good.

“Which reminds me, I’ll have Weiss’s belongings packed and sent to your apartment, James. I would like to see her room cleared out completely from the mansion.”

Now that somewhat saddened her.

She’d left home long ago, but this made it absolutely final.

Which turned her mind to something else: living with General Ironwood.

Oh boy.

Well, she’d lived with her father for so long, hadn’t she? Nothing was quite as unpleasant as that.

“And so we’re all clear,” her father began. “The wedding will be a week from now, yes?”

Prepared by the General, she wasn’t surprised. In fact, she was now all for getting it done and over with. Qrow, however, was not. She could hear him as he grumbled a few choice words under his breath regarding her father that made her smile.

“Yes, we agree with the timeline,” answered the General and Jacques's lips curled up in a subdued smile.

“Any other requirement?”

“We’ll be signing the terms of the dust contract tonight and wrapping this up. I’ll come by in the evening and we’ll get it done.”

“Then I’ll be waiting. I look forward to seeing you tonight, General.”

Weiss took comical notice of how the General did not return the sentiment as he ended the call.

“That went much better than I thought it would,” remarked Winter and Qrow looked at her like she’d lost her mind.

“That was _good_? That man is monster.”

As ever, Winter was unruffled. “Which is why I can say with absolute certainty that it turned out much better than I expected. He didn’t throw any surprises our way and his conditions weren’t anything we didn’t already expect.”

“But he’s _terrible_.”

Weiss had never been in a joking mood after a conversation with her father, but right then she let out a small laugh at the astonished look on his face. “Uh, _yes_.”

“I mean I knew he was terrible, but you guys didn’t warn me he was _terrible_.”

“If there was ever a doubt, I thought it was gone the second he held the dust hostage to make this marriage happen,” Winter told him. “Catch up, Qrow.”

The man blinked a couple of times, before muttering, "Right." He then turned to the General, “So you have this contract worked out?”

As they drifted into their conversation, Weiss turned to Winter. “So that’s it? I can go now?”

“I’ll walk you.”

It was when they’d stepped outside the office and the door had closed behind them that her sister stopped Weiss with a hand on her shoulder. “Well done. Especially what you said about Mother."

Mother had always been a heavy subject, but hearing Winter’s praise did much to alleviate the unpleasantness. “Thanks.”

Winter gave her a small smile in turn before she rearranged her face to talk what she assumed was talk business. “I’ve been charged with helping you with the dress and everything else you’d need. I know you won’t fight me on this because the other option is leaving that to father and I know you wouldn’t want any of his nonsense.”

She shuddered at the thought.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not wearing a dress. I’ll just wear my combat outfit.”

Her sister’s eyes widened in an uncharacteristic giveaway of her shock. “What? But Weiss—”

“With everything happening the way it did, wouldn’t it just be excessive? It’s not really that important.”

“Not really that important?” Winter repeated. “You’ve always wanted a fairytale wedding since you were young. You even carted around a scrapbook for it when you were _eight_ , showing me pictures of glitter and white chiffon.”

How did that matter, when it was constantly being overwritten by other important things in her life as the years went on? Like honing her strengths and being a huntress. Understanding there was distance between her and her little brother, who hung onto Father's every word. Getting used to the fact that her mother was becoming a ghost of herself and there was nothing she could do. Constantly proving herself to her father.

That was life, and she'd hardly hugged her dream wedding idea in a while.

But now, with all the recent advancements in their situation, a princess wedding? That was a little girl dream.

“I was young,” she defended, even though she’d thought about it countless times in the past two days.

“Look, we’re going to make this work. And it’s not like you’re signing your life away, alright? You’re not.”

She came closer.

“So this being what it is, the General wants you to have the wedding you want. So do it, Weiss. Go crazy. Don’t let father ruin _everything_. Not to mention, it’s not excessive. Remember, it’s meant to be a show. You not even wearing a dress doesn’t quite add to the picture we’re trying to paint.”

Well, when she put it like that....

She wasn’t _wrong_.

“You deserve your fairytale wedding, Weiss.”

She was silent—not because she was thinking about her childish wish but wondering when her childish wish became important to her sister.

But there was more there, with her thinking being almost utilitarian at this point. The dress was in fact a part of the show, so why not?

Yeah, she thought to herself. Why the heck not?

Maybe it was an excuse to hide behind, but it was a good one nonetheless.

Huh.

"Fine. I’ll get a dress.”

She could’ve sworn Winter almost smiled at that. “Good.”

* * *

It had been a while since Blake had taken on a solo mission.

She’d gotten so used to working with Yang that she couldn’t recall the last time she had been on her own. Team JNR had knocked on their door that morning because they needed another member for the mission they wanted to go on, and Yang had volunteered at Blake’s encouragement.

While Blake definitely enjoyed working so in sync with her partner, she forgot how much she used to enjoy her alone time too. That was why she had jogged up to the mission board not much later to take on a one-person task.

She was currently patrolling a neighborhood in Mantle, making sure everything was clear after having taken down a couple of Grimm that had found their way into the city.

And that’s when she heard it.

A cry.

It was so faint, if it weren’t for her superior hearing, she wouldn’t have heard it at all. In fact, she wasn’t completely sure she hadn’t imagined it.

She rushed down the street and followed the sound straight into the alley at the end of the way on her right, hearing the child’s crying get louder. She held her breath, hoping she hadn’t let a Grimm slip by and hurt someone. Blade at the ready, what she saw had her stopping short just inside the alley.

No sign of Grimm.

Just… _a_ _baby_.

Wrapped up in just a blanket on top of the mess of wooden crates lying next to the dumpster.

God, who would do this?

How long had it been out there? She sheathed her blade as she wondered to herself. Its cries echoed off of the walls in a heart wrenching sound that made her angry at whoever would just leave their child out like this.

It was chilly out. The heating was on, yes, but a blanket? Seriously?

She took out her scroll, set on calling someone so the appropriate authorities took a look and took care of the child. She mindlessly stepped closer, perhaps to get a peek at the baby as she called this incident in, but froze the second her eyes landed on him.

It was a Faunus.

But that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that the ears of top of its head meant it was of the _cat_ variety.

And she knew what happened when a Faunus of the feline category laid their eyes on someone for the first time.

Horrorstruck, she backed away so it wouldn’t catch sight of her—but it was too late. The crying had stopped, and the baby was looking at her with wide, adorable brown eyes.

Then it smiled a wobbly smile.

 _Oh, no_.

What was she supposed to do now?

She knew what she would have done: called this in and let Atlas handle it. But that was before the child had imprinted.

She couldn’t now. Once a Faunus imprinted, it formed a bond that was irreversible. Broken imprinting was debilitating for the Faunus that depended on it in the early years of their lives, and stories of such cases circled the Faunus community often enough that she knew the weight of this was no joke.

She felt a sound of frustration building up at the back of her throat and the urge to punch the wall next to her as she thought about what she had to do then.

The baby needed to be somewhere she could regularly visit until the initial few months passed. Somewhere no one could catch wind of this.

Certainly not the Academy dorms.

Baffled at the position she’d unwittingly put herself in, she dialed a different number and put her scroll to her ear.

“Hello, Maria? I have a favor I need to ask you…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter that handles some details here and there that needed to be addressed. Any thoughts?


End file.
